• Interviews

Gina Rodriguez: ‘I Love Animation’

Gina Rodriguez has already proved that everything is possible if she really goes for it. The Chicago born daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants became a star through the five seasons of Jane the Virgin (for which she received two additional Globe nominations) and decided to use her power as a producer to transform the demographics on screen. She’s behind the successful Apple TV series Diary of a Future President (where she also plays a Latina POTUS) and has plans for a live-action film about Carmen Sandiego where she will star and produce. As an actress, she was seen this January at Sundance with Evan Rachel Wood and Debra Winger and will appear next in Awake, a post-apocalyptic drama on Netflix where she joins forces with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Frances Fisher. Scoob!, the new Warner Brothers animated adventure of the Scooby-Doo gang fulfills her dream of a Latina Velma. In the film which was just  digitally released, Rodriguez joins forces with other talented actors such as Mark Wahlberg, Will Forte, Jason Isaacs, Amanda Seyfried, and Zac Efron.

Were you a big fan of Scooby-Doo when you were a kid?

normal’>Scooby-Doo and came on in the ‘70s. I had two older sisters, and they both loved Scooby-Doo, so I got to see Scooby-Doo in a different era. And both my sisters’ era, one was born in the ‘70s, the other was born in the early ‘80s, and I was the third. So, I got to see different eras of Scooby-Doo.  But the old cartoon of them going after the ghosts, are just my absolute favorite. Did I ever think I was going to be able to play Velma or be in Scooby-Doo? Never. I know you didn’t even ask that, but it was such a surreal experience being cast in this.

And what was what you liked the most about the whole concept of the Scooby-Doo stories? 

Is Velma your favorite character?

There is a scene where she pronounces one word in Spanish. Does that mean she is Latina?

This is not the first voice dubbing that you did in animation, basically, you have a second career in it. What is it that it gives you as an actress besides being able to do it in your pajamas?

When you are doing a voice, you are not limited by your physicality. When you finished college, did you know inside of you that you were going to succeed as you did, or did it come as a surprise to you?

  My father used to tell me this all the time that you have to believe that you can, you have to envision yourself doing it, you have to write down your goals and work towards accomplishing them. And it’s so, there are so many times, I didn’t book Jane until I was 29 and there were so many moments where I thought to myself, I don’t know if this is going to happen. And I don’t know what else I would do because this is all I wanted to do. And I don’t think I could have ever imagined that the things that were going to happen to me were going to happen to me. But there was a place inside my heart that knew I couldn’t give up. But I had to keep trying, even if it took longer than I wanted it to and longer than I expected, I mean there is a big part of me that said I wasn’t going to stop until I saw my success. And whatever that meant, because I feel like my expectations of success continue to change for me and my dreams continue to change as I accomplish them or as I get to a certain place in my career and I look further. And I adapt and what I want changes and my priorities change. But I feel very, very blessed.  And I know that I work very hard but I do feel very lucky and I feel like God has always been looking out for me. And I don’t know, it’s a strange thing because I feel like that is one of those existential questions in your life that you are constantly asking like what am I doing right, what am I doing wrong, how do I need to grow, how do I need to change, what is the next move to make? But I will say I feel very, very blessed, and very grateful for all I have been able to do. And I hope to give to others and share my blessings, and one thing my father always did say also was you give your blessings away and you make room for more. So, I am just trying to create a space and a platform with my production company because dreams do come true and I definitely feel like mine has.

Do you feel that you had something to do with the change in Hollywood for the Latin community?

Jane six years ago and I have seen a lot of change in the past six years. And it is so empowering and hopeful to see more and more Latin artists succeed on big scales and create narratives and be reflections and there are so many Latins actors in this country and Latin America to be and aspire to be. I have seen a big shift and I only hope that I contributed positively to that shift. I know there’s a lot of people that have contributed to my shift. I know there’s a lot of women that came before me that made it possible for me, they made the road a little less bumpy, and I am trying to do the same. 

Do you think one day we are going to have a Latina president as the character you play in Diary of a Future President?

What you are doing as a producer has changed your views as an actress?

  When I started to direct, I started to see how I could contribute as an actor to be much more collaborative, a much more giving actor, one that would make it so it’s easier on so many people. And I already knew those things: being on time, being prepared, having my lines memorized, not making anybody wait for me. But as a director, you start seeing all the smaller increments of how everybody can contribute to making it such a collaborative and easy process. So, when I moved over to producing, that was where I really realized that I can create an environment that is going to be different, one that was loving and transparent and kind. And I am not saying those things never existed, but as a producer, you really have so much power to start the journey off with these values at the heart and at the center. The way that it has changed my view as an actor is knowing exactly who to go to when I am acting and it’s going to create a more positive experience for me and for the cast and for the crew, because a producer is vital in that, implementing that from the start. So that is the kind of environment I want to create for all of our productions, including making a great space for all of our artists so that they have a place to fail. I think what I have personally experienced as a woman and as a Latina, I am not given that many chances to fail as an artist and I think we have seen that historically those women aren’t given that many chances to fail when they have done a big movie. So, I want to give my artists a chance to fail because that is where you learn, you learn from your failures. You become a better artist and human being in your failures God willing, that would be the goal. So, I want to create that space so that people are allowed to be that around me.